Instruments for injection of contrast fluids for x-ray examination of fistulas



Sept. 21, 1965 a. UDDENBERG 3,207,150

INSTRUMENTS FOR INJECTION OF CONTRAST FLUIDS FOR X-RAY EXAMINATION OF FISTULAS Filed March 12, 1962 United States Patent 3,207,150 INSTRUMENTS FOR INJECTION 0F CON- TRAST FLUIDS FOR X-RAY EXAMINATION 0F FISTULAS Goran Uddenberg, Rangeltorpsgatan 49, Gothenburg, Sweden Filed Mar. 12, 1962, Ser. No. 178,877 Claims priority, application Sweden, Mar. 20, 1961, 2,931/ 61 2 Claims. (Cl. 128-2) This invention relates to instruments for the injection of contrasting fluids and the like for X-ray examinations of fistulas.

The usual means employed for this purpose is a syringe nozzle which has been held in position against the fistula. either by hand or, whenever possible, with the aid of adhesive plaster or some other type of binding.

It is an object of this invention to provide an instrument for such purpose where the instrument can be maintained in position against the fistula without any bindings which are a hindrance to the free passage of the X-rays to produce a fully clear picture of the subcutaneous range of the fistul-a and its ducts for the accumulated pus.

Another object of this invention is to provide an instrument for such purpose where the instrument can be maintained in position without any help of human hands, and no assistant person can be exposed to injuries from the X-rays.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide an instrument for such purpose where the instrument per se is built up to leave a clear passage for the X-rays directly towards the fistula without any harmful surface angles being present in the instrument.

With these and other objects in View the invention is substantially characterized by an instrument in the shape of a disc, the skin-facing side of which is provided with an annular groove and .a central column with a bore serving as the exit end of a fluid carrying duct, and also with a joint fitting adapted for connection to a syringe or the like, in addition to which the mouth of an air evacuation duct is provided in the annular groove, the opposite end of the duct being adapted for connection to a vacuum pump or some other suction device.

The attached drawing illustrates an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 1 is a cross section of the device on an enlarged scale, FIG. 2 is a plan view of the device and FIG. 3 is a cross section of a portion of a somewhat modified design.

The device consists substantially of a disc with one side 2 of the disc 1 constituting the side to be positioned against a fis-tula or boil 3, including portion 4 of the skin, opposite other side 5 faces outwards. The side 2 is provided with an annular groove 6, surrounding a central column 7, having a centrally disposed exit or outlet 8 of a fluid carrying duct 9, which at the edge of the disc is provided with a union fitting 10 for the connection to a syringe or other injection device (not shown). At the top of the inside of the annular groove is outlet aperture 11 of an additional duct 12 which serves as a channel for the evacuation of air from the annular groove, and the opposite end of the air evacuation duct 12 is provided with a union 1 3 preferably also disposed at the edge of the disc for attachment in known manner to a vacuum pump of other air evacuation device.

In cross section, the annular groove 6 has substantially the form of an elongated ellipse, with one edge coinciding with the groove aperture in the side 2 of the disc which is shown as plane in the embodiment according to FIGS. 1 and 2. In these circumstances, the side of the central column 7 will appear as a curve-shaped concave surface which, in cross section is limited by two sub- 3,207,150 Patented Sept. 21, 1965 ice stantially semicircular arches, and the same groove-forming shape also prevails at the outer circumference of the groove. This curve-form near the central column is of particular significance, as will be evident from the further description below.

Since it is intended to take X-ray records with the disc in position over the fistula, the disc should preferably be transparent. Apart from taking this matter into consideration, the disc can be made of any kind of material, although plastic material is preferable. For the sake of facilitating X-ray photography, the outer as well as the inner side of the disc has been made substantially plane, thus enabling X-ray pictures to be taken without distortion. Not even the fine bore ducts embedded in the disc will interfere with the clearness of the picture. This is the reason for the connection mean being disposed at the edge of the disc, thus avoiding shadowing objects on the plain surfaces of the disc.

In addition to .a main duct for discharge of pus from the boil, there is also oft-en a widespread network of secondary ducts, some of which may even terminate in the skin. In cases of this nature it may be preferable to extend the effect of the injected fluid, for example in the manner indicated in FIG. 3, which shows a tapering form 8a of the outlet, possibly also with the further attachment of a transparent strainer plate 14. For the purpose of following the contour of a possible protuberance formed by a fistula, the strainer plate may be concave in shape.

When using the device, the disc is placed immediately over the fistula with the exit end 8 of the nozzle as far as possible directed towards the principal pus carrying duct of the fistula. The air in the annular groove is then evacuated, causing the port-ion of the skin around the boil to be drawn into the groove 6 and forming a ringshaped blister, holding the disc in position. The disc will be very securely retained in position against the skin around the outer edges of the annular groove. The effect close to the central column is then particularly advantageous, since the epidermis covering the fist-ula will be tensioned and stretched, with the result that the pusduct outlet or outlets will be widened and thus easier to observe and also facilitate the injection of the contrastive fluid into the same. In view of the fact that the injection fluid is subjected to a certain pressure to enable it to be forced as far as possible into the pus-carrying ducts, a centrally applied pressure which squeezes aside the skin will then come into existence, and it is therefore of very great advantage that the means for a secure hold at the column can really be relied upon, a fact which is mainly due to the curve-shape of the column.

Within the scope of the basic idea of the invention, the details of the device may be subject to variations. For possibly existing reasons, the disc may thus have its sides executed in a shape differing from the plane design. The range of application is not confined to fistulas only, and the device can be used for purposes of injection into other parts of the body. It can, for example, be used for injection of contrast fluids into the nipples of the mammary glands for X-ray examination in cases of suspected cancer.

What I claim is:

1. A device for the injection of fluids such as contrasting fluids into fistulas for X-ray purposes, comprising a disc having opposite parallel sides, at least one of said sides being planar, and a peripheral wall, the side opposite the planar side being the fistula facing side, the peripheral wall being of such dimensions as to accommodate a deep and broad groove defining an annular suction chamber open toward the fistul-a side, a thick central column defining a central annular wall for the suction chamber located within said chamber and extending from the top of the chamber and having a free end terminating in the plane of the fistula facing side and adapted to cover the fistula, the dimensions of the peripheral wall being such as :to accommodate a channel extending in parallelism to said planar side of the disc and having an inlet end adjacent the peripheral wall, a fitting for connecting said inlet end to a source of contrasting fluid, said central column having a duct communicating with said channel extending longitudinally of the column and provided with an outlet located at the free end of the column, said disc being provided with a second channel located between said first named channel and the top of the suction chamber extending parallel to the first named channel and having an inlet end adjacent the peripheral wall, a fitting for connecting the inlet end of the second channel to a source of suction air, and said second channel having an outlet end in communication with said suction chamber whereby the fistula facing side of the disc is free from obstacles hindering the reception of X-rays.

2.. The device as claimed in claim 1 in which said central column is formed with a concave free end for providing a free end of substantial area.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 559,417 5/96 Spencer 128- 24 1 811,111 1/ 06 Wegefarth 1278240 989,839 4/ 11 Fowler 128241 X 1,128,459 2/15 Kleine 128-300 1,863,534 6/3 2 Odell 128300 2,945,496 7/60 Fosdale 128-276 FOREIGN PATENTS 440,948 7/ 12 France. 677,523 8/52 Great Britain.

RICHARD A. GAUDET, Primary Examiner. JORDAN FRANKLIN, Examiner. 

1. A DEVICE FOR THE INJECTION OF FLUIDS SUCH AS CONTRASTING FLUIDS INTO FISTULAS FOR X-RAY PURPOSES, COMPRISING A DISC HAVING OPPOSITE PARALLEL SIDES, AT LEAST ONE OF SAID SIDES BEING PLANAR, AND A PERIPHERAL WALL, THE SIDE OPPOSITE THE PLANAR SIDE BEING THE FISTULA FACING SIDE, THE PERIPHERAL WALL BEING OF SUCH DIMENSIONS AS TO ACCOMMODATE A DEEP AND BROAD GROOVE DEFINING AN ANNULAR SUCTION CHAMBER OPEN TOWARD THE FISTULA SIDE, A THICK CENTRAL COLUMN DEFINING A CENTRAL ANNULAR WALL FOR THE SUCTION CHAMBER LOCATED WITHIN SAID CHAMBER AND EXTENDING FROM THE TOP OF THE CHAMBER AND HAVING A FREE END TERMINATING IN THE PLANE OF THE FISTULA FACING SIDE AND ADAPTED TO COVER THE FISTULA, THE DIMENSIONS OF THE PERIPHERAL WALL BEING SUCH AS TO ACCOMMODATE A CHANNEL EXTENDING IN PARALLELISM TO SAID PLANAR SIDE OF THE DISC AND HAVING AN INLET END ADJACENT THE PERIPHERAL WALL, A FITTING FOR CONNECTING SAID INLET END TO A SOURCE OF CONTRASTING FLUID, SAID CENTRAL COLUMN HAVING A DUCT COMMUNICATING WITH SAID CHANNEL EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY OF THE COLUMN AND PROVIDED WITH AN OUTLET LOCATED AT THE FREE END OF THE COLUMN, SAID DISC BEING PROVIDED WITH A SECOND CHANNEL LOCATED BETWEEN SAID FIRST NAMED CHANNEL AND THE TOP OF THE SUCTION CHAMBER EXTENDING PARALLEL TO THE FIRST NAMED CHANNEL AND HAVING AN INLET END ADJACENT THE PERIPHERAL WALL, A FITTING FOR CONNECTING THE INLET END OF THE SECOND CHANNEL TO A SOURCE OF SUCTION AIR, AND SAID SECOND CHANNEL HAVING AN OUTLET END IN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID SUCTION CHAMBER WHEREBY THE FISTULA FACING SIDE OF THE DISC IS FREE FROM OBSTACLES HINDERING THE RECEPTION OF X-RAYS. 